Speed cup balancing machine



June 13, 1939- c. w. M KINLEY ET AL SPEED CUP BALANCING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 1, 1935 aha-5% al 333 l ac/Ian .3. 6' 2% &

Chance .8 102225221079 Ctttornegs Patented June 13, 1939 'PU' T D"sures SPEED CUP BALANCING MACHINE Charles W. McKinley, Lucian E.

Smith, and

Clarence B. Dinsmore, Flint, Mich, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Original application November 1, 1935, Serial No. 47,750. Divided and this application February 24, 1988, Serial No. 192,302

Claims.

This application relates to a speed cup balancing machine. It is a division from our application Serial No. 47,750 filed November 1, 1935.

The object of the invention is the provision of a novel form of oscillating bearing to reduce friction at the bearing support, a bearing which is useful in the speed cup balancing machine of the above-mentioned application and in many other relations. Other objects and advantages will be understood from the following description. Only so much of our balancing machine of our prior application is shown and described as is needed to indicate the relation to it of the oscillating bearing of the present divisional application.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the balancing machine.

Figure 2 is a perspective of parts thereof constituting the oscillating bearing for the spindle of the s eed cup which is to be balanced.

Referring to the drawing. a base H is shown on platform l0. Secured to the base H at iii are strips 15 slidable relative to which is a motor l9. Associated with the fixed, abutment 2| is a lever 23 pivoted at 26 to the abutment 2| and a link pivotally connected at 28 to the lever and at 30 to the motor. Springs 21 are ositioned between the abutment 2! and the motor; When the lever 23 is raised so that pivot 28 is above the line joining pivots 26 and 3B. the springs 2! assist the lever and link in reciprocatin the motor away from the abutment. A suitable cutter, not shown. is operable by the motor to cut material from the outer bottom. wall of the speed cup as will be explained. The drawing shows a bar 29 fixedly mounted upon the base. It has vertical end walls 3! to which are secured by fastening means 33 flat plates of resilient steel 35 and 35'. These plates are free to vibrate toward and from each other. The plates extend to the region of a die 31 which proiects within and seats against the inner side of the bottom wall of the base of the speed cup. To the ends of plates 35 and 35 are secured by fastening means 39 spool supports 40, the spool supports having opposed lugs H carrying pins 43, the adjacent ends of which are tapered for the rotary support of spools 44. The parts are positioned and dimensioned so that when the speed cup spindle 45 is supported as shown the cup 41 is in contact with the die 31 as explained above. Secured to the cross bar 29 is a synchronous motor 5| having a shaft 53, the latter being provided with a plural face cam 55 aging abutments 57 secured to the resilient plates.

In the operation of the machine the speed cupis mounted as described. The vibrating movements of the resilient plates 35 and 35 insure 5 that any out of balance condition of the speed cup causes it to rotate about the spools until the unbalancing mass is in the lower end of the vertical axis. As explained in the parent case, lever BI is then rotated to punch a hole in the bottom wall of the cup. The lever is then withdrawn and the speed cup swings to a new position of rest. This new position again brings the unbalancing weight into the lower part of the vertical diameter of the cup, the vibrating spools being relied on to insure the free swinging of the cup. The process is then continued by swinging lever 23 so that springs 21 may move the motor together with a head 63 carried thereby and adapted to move jointly therewith and grip the base of the speed cup between itself and the die 31. The rotation of lever 23 also introduces an electric circuit, not shown, operable to actuate motor I9. The cutter driven by the motor then cuts material from the outer bottom wall of the cup in quantity sufiicient to balance the cup. The depth of the cutting is determined by the arc of rotation of the speed cup and is measured by the rotation of an arm 65 carrying a pin 67. The arm 55 is rotated until its pin registers with the hole which has been punch-ed by the action of lever 6|. Suitable mechanism associated with lever 65 and with the cutting means of the motor, this mechanism not being shown, determines the depth of the cutting and insures the correct balancing of the cup.

In the parent application are claims for the machine for balancing the cup. The present divisional application aims to afford protection on the oscillating supporting means best shown in Figure 2, this supporting means being useful with the balancing machine and in other relations.

We claim:

1. Means to support an element for free rotation, said element having a spindle, said support comprising members upon which said spindle rests, and means to move said members simultaneously toward and from each other to reduce to a minimum the friction at the points of support and to prevent axial movement of said element.

2. The invention defined by claim 1, said spindle resting on said members on opposite sides of said element.

3. The invention defined by claim 1, said means 65 comprising flexible arms carrying said members said arms may be simultaneously moved toward' 7 and a power driven 'multi-faced cam between and and from each other. v

operable on said arms. 5. The invention defined by claim 4, together 4. An oscillating bearing comprising substanwith rotatable cam means between and operable 5 tially parallel arms, a support carried at one end jointly upon said arms. 5

of each arm, a spool carried by each support upon CHARLES W MoKINLEY. which spools the ends of a. supported element may LUCIAN B. SMITH.

rest, said arms being flexible and means whereby CLARENCE B. DINSMORE. 

